The Shining

I finished the book a few days ago and just finished watching the movie now. Overall, I liked the book better than the movie, predictably because there was a whole lot more character development going on in the book and it was easier to sympathize with Jack Torrance's character. I can't necessarily blame the lack of it in the film, though, as most of it stemmed from the thoughts going on in the characters' heads and, well, that's something that just wouldn't translate well into movie form. I wasn't too keen on the portrayal of Dick Hallorann here, either.

But those gripes aside, I liked the movie overall. Though, as I said, I liked the book better, the thing I really appreciated about the movie was that it was scarier. This may be because I'm just unable to be scared by books, but it wasn't just the visual form that made it freaky. It was the Psycho-esque music playing throughout it that did the trick in giving it the perfect eerie atmosphere, plus the surreal camera angles. As strange as it sounds considering all the other options the movie had to offer, I found the most disturbing scene in it to be the part where Wendy discovers Jack's script.

Overall I'd give it...tough to say, but probably a B. Maybe a B+ for the later scenes. And the ending. Creepy ending.